A research team from National Cheng Kung University’s environmental and occupational health department on Monday said its study had shed light onto how exposure to industrial plasticizers can lead to low testosterone levels and possibly infertility in men.
Research team head Lee Ching-chang (李俊璋) said the findings were based on a study of 259 infertile men recruited at infertility clinics and 39 fertile men recruited from childbirth classes between 2011 and last year.
Researchers measured the concentrations of plasticizers in the participants’ urine and compared the results with indicators of testicular function to see if there was a correlation between the presence of industrial chemicals and infertility.
At a press briefing at the university, Lee said the study found that the concentration of plasticizers in the system of an infertile man was more than double that of a fertile man’s.
This is because plasticizers can affect the functioning of Leydig cells and suppress the production of testosterone, Lee said, adding that when both the Leydig cell hormones’ insulin-like peptide 3 and testosterone are low, males are likely to have poor semen quality.
Industrial plasticizers, also known as phthalates, are additives that make plastics more flexible and harder to break.
People are frequently exposed to plasticizers, which are used in cartons and bags containing food or drinks, the team said.
Men who use a lot of shower gel, shampoo, shaving cream or aftershave were also found to have higher concentrations of plasticizers in their systems, Lee said.
The study was published in the most recent edition of Human Reproduction, a journal of medicine and health published by the Oxford University Press, Lee said.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all